green crayon: it's what's for dessert!

Avery finished eating a huge lunch and about 15 min later I hear Kevin ask her what she had in her mouth. I heard her spit something out and Kevin in an exasperated tone exclaimed: "A green crayon?!?"

she didn't eat a lot of the green crayon, but she had a few bits and pieces in her mouth and her tongue was green

it's as if she's thinking: hmm...that green crayon was awfully delicious!

then I started to say it was yucky so she started trying to scrape it out of her mouth and saying "ya-yee" (yucky)

Avery laughed and came over to me so I could clean her mouth out. Why?!? Why?!? WHY?!? Avery puts everything in her mouth. She'll find a teeny tiny piece of paper on the floor and pop it in her mouth. She'll go outside and pop a stick in her mouth. She'll go in Parker's room and put a train in her mouth. The little pieces, she usually spits out once she realizes they aren't food.

For a while I thought Parker had Pica. He put everything in his mouth too. He doesn't do it as much, but every once in a while I'll catch him munching on a label he peeled off of one of his play toys or a twig from outside.

I know a lot of kids do this and it's somewhat "normal". But it drives me nuts that my kids do this! And what is is about the green crayon that my kids like???

this was this past March - Parker was 2.5. He hadn't tried to eat crayons in a long while and I thought I could trust him. He was coloring while I was cleaning up our lunch dishes. I checked on him a few times, but sneaky little devil did it in between my checks! When he came up to me I thought it was icing and he got into some cupcakes. Then I realized I DID NOT have any cupcakes. I freaked out...I mean, that's a lot of crayon in his mouth! I brushed his teeth (and threw that brush away), made him swish water, but at 2.5 he didn't really know how to swish and gargle so he swallowed some, which caused me to freak more. I think I used half a roll of paper towel trying to scrape the crayons off. 

Do your kids stuff things in their mouth too? What's the weirdest thing they've "eaten"?